Everyone enjoys being lazy once and a while, including myself. Sometimes it’s nice to just lay on the couch and binge watch your favorite show on Netflix. I totally get it. We all deserve some downtime to rest and recuperate.
Besides, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, right? We can’t devote all our time to work. We all need to have some time to chill and do nothing. However, don’t chill for too long. Make sure you can get back to the grind when you’re done.
Laziness is ok in moderation. Much like drinking alcohol or wearing plaid. However, it’s easy to get carried away. Don’t let laziness become a habit. If you practice anything long enough it will eventually become a habit.
Being lazy can have detrimental effects on your business and life. Laziness can hold you back from achieving your dreams and reaching your full potential. It can even have harmful effects on your health.
For instance, research shows that a sedentary lifestyle has been shown to increase all cause mortality and can double your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, depression, and anxiety.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 2 million deaths per year are attributed to inactivity. The World Health Organization issued a statement stating that inactivity could become one of the top 10 leading causes for death and disability in the world.
Additionally, laziness can have harmful effects on your mental health as well. People who are lazy often have a poor self-image of themselves. They have goals and aspirations, but they can’t seem to summon the will and drive to go after them. This can lead to depression, anxiety, and isolation.
We have all felt the horrible feeling that comes from letting ourselves down. Have you ever promised yourself that you were going to go workout and when it came time to go to the gym you came up with an excuse? Welcome to the club. It doesn’t feel good, does it?
If you feel like you were born with the lazy gene, don’t worry. There are ways to stop being lazy and kick start your productivity.
In this article I’m going to show you how to stop being lazy with 11 effective strategies. So, get out your note pad and pen and get ready to take some notes. Let get started!
Table of Contents
1.Start with Micro Steps
Often lazy people don’t want to do something because they imagine it to be more difficult than it really is.
For instance, the other day I needed to go to Costco so I could get all my shopping done for the week. I was feeling lazy, so it seemed like a lot of work at the time. Fortunately, I was all out of Pop Chips, so I summoned all my strength and made the trip.
Afterwards, I realized that it wasn’t as difficult as I had imagined it to be. In fact, it was much easier. Once I got going everything seemed effortless. I got all my shopping done in record time and I was relieved that all my shopping was done for the week.
This is a perfect example of how we can make a relatively simple task seem much bigger than it really is. The same can be said for going to the gym, going for a run, or writing a blog post.
The hardest part is just getting started. Think of laziness like a locomotive. If you’ve ever watched a train start from a standstill, then you know that they take a really long time to get moving. The train has to work extremely hard to get up to cruising speed.
Once it reaches its cruising speed, it doesn’t have to work nearly as hard. In fact, once a train gets going it’s difficult to stop it. This is similar to us. Once we overcome the initial feeling of laziness, we tend to get a roll and find it hard to stop.
Have you ever felt dread at the thought of cleaning your house but once you got started you found it hard to stop? That’s because it feels good to be productive. You just have to get the ball rolling.
Here’s how to start. Next time you have something important to do and you feel too lazy, break down the task into micro steps and commit to doing just the first step.
For instance, say April 15th is quickly approaching and you still haven’t filed your taxes yet. Instead of imaging yourself working for hours to complete your taxes, write down the first step that you need to take and do it.
Example
Step 1: Find my W-2 form and place it next to my computer.
If you feel inspired after you finish the first step, keeping going. Otherwise, write down the second step and focus on that.
Do this until you complete the task. This is a great way to overcome laziness and boost your self-confidence. Once you start to apply this you will see how powerful it is and you will want to apply this technique in other areas of your life.
2. Remove Distractions
It seems like we live in an increasingly distracted world. With technology and social media becoming more integrated into our lives, our attention is constantly being pulled in a thousand directions.
This makes it difficult for us to stay focused and productive. Technology also offers us enticing distractions that can make anything else seem unimportant.
Have you ever gone on Youtube with the intention of watching only one video and then spent hours watching totally unrelated videos? I’m guessing you said yes because we all have. Afterwards, did you feel motivated or lazy. Probably lazy.
This is the effect that distractions have on us. They take our attention and energy away from what we should be working on and leave us feeling lazy and unmotivated.
This is why it’s so important to create a distraction free zone. By this I mean removing any and all distractions from your environment, this includes your smartphone. An effective way to remove the temptation of checking your phone is by turning off the ringer and placing it in your desk drawer. Out of sight, out of mind.
This way you won’t hear it ring or buzz with notifications. If you still find yourself checking your phone you can always leave it in your car and check it on your break. Don’t worry, you don’t have to leave your phone in your car all day. It’s only necessary when you have important work that demands your full attention.
Furthermore, don’t make a habit of checking your email every couple of minutes. Email is often a huge distraction. Most emails don’t require immediate action. Set designated times throughout the day to check emails.
Additionally, don’t check your social media when you’re working. Social media is addicting, and it can be hard to stop once you start, much like eating Doritos.
Spending excessive amounts of time on social media can leave you feeling emotionally drained and lethargic, also like eating Doritos. You want to conserve your energy so you can direct it to the important tasks that need to get done.
Lastly, make sure your work desk is clean and organized. Having a cluttered workspace has been shown to negatively affect productivity. When your desk is covered with papers, pens, books, and other knick-knacks, it can be difficult to focus on what needs to get done.
“Distractions test your loyalty towards your ambition.”
– Gaurvi Sharma
3. Celebrate your Wins
It’s important to reward yourself after you accomplish something important. This way you train your brain to want to accomplish more.
For instance, if you really dislike making cold calls but you know it’s the most important task of the day, give yourself a reward once you finish.
This will give you something to look forward to once you complete the task. Make sure it’s something that will get you excited and keep you motivated. Try to stay away from anything unhealthy or expensive. You don’t want to go broke using this strategy.
Celebrating your wins is a great way to conquer laziness. Laziness often comes from fear or overwhelm. If you view a task as being scary or too big, you will find a way to procrastinate and procrastination is a form of laziness.
Laziness also comes from feeling unmotivated. If you can’t find a compelling reason to finish a task, then you must create one. This is why rewards are so powerful. They have the power to inspire you to take action and can help you to overcome feelings of fear, overwhelm, and laziness.
For example, the other day I found myself struggling to find the motivation to go to the gym for my daily workout. Typically, I go in the morning so I can get it out of the way. Usually going to the gym in the evening isn’t a problem but for some reason I was really struggling to find the energy to go. Fortunately, I know how to use rewards to motivate myself, so I decided to reward myself with my favorite flavor of Rockstar energy drink. I don’t always use an energy drink as a reward, it just sounded good to me at that moment. Lo and behold it worked! I went to the gym and had a great workout, and afterwards I rewarded myself with my favorite Rockstar energy drink.
Next time you find yourself struggling and you can’t seem to find the motivation to complete a task, think of a way to reward yourself. Make sure it’s something that will truly excite you and give you the motivation to work hard.
This is a great strategy for overcoming laziness. Try it out and see for yourself!
4. Ask for Help
If your anything like me, you have a hard time asking for help. I’ve been referred to as stubborn by people who would know. I enjoy pushing though difficult tasks and overcoming obstacles without the assistance of anyone else.
It’s very gratifying for me. This is also one of my greatest weaknesses. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve struggled unnecessarily because I refused to ask for help.
I’m here to assure you that its ok to ask for help. In fact, asking for help can be one of the greatest ways to overcome laziness. Lazy people often feel unmotivated or overwhelmed when confronted with a seemingly difficult task.
If you’re stubborn like me, you probably won’t reach out and ask for help. I can assure you that going at it alone is the wrong approach. You’re only going to waste time and energy.
Asking someone for help will not only help to share the workload but it will also keep you accountable. You can bet that if someone is going out of their way to help you, they aren’t going to put up with any laziness, nor should they.
If someone owes you a favor call it in! If you’ve helped them in the past, they will probably be happy to help you out. Just make sure they are going to help you out and not hold you back.
If you have a monumental task and you’re afraid to ask for help because you feel guilty, start by doing something helpful for someone else.
Research shows that people are more likely to be receptive to your request if you have already done something for them. For all my Latin speakers this is referred to as “quid pro quo”.
This research was covered in detail in Robert Cialdini’s best selling book Influence. Cialdini refers to this as reciprocity and it’s the first of six principals of influence.
“The rule says that we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us.” – Robert Cialdini
So, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. If you have an important task to finish and you just can’t summon the energy to get it done, ask someone for help.
If it helps, start by doing something helpful for someone else and then ask them for help. Either way, don’t let the feeling of laziness stop you from accomplishing your goals.
“One of the biggest defects in life is the inability to ask for help.” – Robert Kiyosaki
5. Create a Plan of Action
It’s easy to give in to laziness when we don’t have a clear plan. Knowing the steps that you need to take in order to achieve your goal is an effective way to overcome laziness.
If you try to accomplish a big goal with only a vague idea of the steps that you need to take, you will be left feeling confused and overwhelmed.
This is why its important to set up a clear step by step path to achieving your objective. Lazy people usually don’t take time to plan properly and as a result spend most of their time reacting to life instead of engaging it.
For instance, do you know someone who is always late? Of course you do, doesn’t everyone? There failure to be on time is often the result of poor planning. They don’t take the time to mentally map out what they need to get done and how long it will take. As a result, they fall behind on schedule and feel overwhelmed and frustrated.
I have a friend who is late to virtually everything. It’s so bad that when we catch a movie, I will say the start time is 30 minutes before the actual time, so he won’t miss any of the movie. It’s sad but it works.
Don’t let this be you. Start planning out your days, weeks, and months. You will find this to be surprisingly effective. If you have a big project for work, start planning out the steps that you will need to take to complete it and create a timeline for how long each step will take.
This will help you to commit to completing your tasks and overcome any feelings of uncertainty. This will also help you overcome any feelings of laziness. It’s much easier to take the next step when you know exactly what step to take.
So, next time your feeling lazy and you have a big project to complete, start by writing out a plan of action. Write out each step from start to finish and try to estimate how long it should take you to complete.
Once you have your action plan mapped out, complete the first task. Don’t worry about the second task until your finished with the first. Once you start making progress you will probably start feeling energized and motivated and you may even complete the entire task.
“Plan your work and work your plan.” – Napoleon Hill
6. Change Your Identity
No, I don’t mean your literal identity. Not unless you find yourself in a Jason Bourne type situation. I mean to change your self-identity. Self-identity is a collection of beliefs that we have about ourselves.
For instance, if you go running every day, then you see yourself as a runner. If you write every day, you see yourself as a writer. Our self-perception is incredibly powerful.
Self-identity can act as a regulator of our actions. It can work for us and against us.
If you hold the belief that you are lazy, then you will act lazy. It’s as simple as that. On the other hand, if you hold the belief that you are a hard worker and ambitious, then you will act out those beliefs. You will live in accordance with your self-identity.
Lazy people often view themselves as being lazy. This belief can come from past experiences or from someone telling them that they are lazy. We are very susceptible to other people’s opinions of us, especially if we view them as an authority.
I learned a lot about identity from Tony Robbins. Tony says that the fastest way to expand our identity is to do something that’s inconsistent with our current self-image.
In other words, if you see yourself as being lazy, do something to disprove that self-belief. Take massive action and do something productive. Do the opposite of what a lazy person would do. If you do this consistently overtime your self-identity will change to support your new belief.
I have used this strategy many times and I find it to be one of the most powerful ways to overcome a negative self-identity.
Try this strategy for a month and write down your results. Step into the person that you want to become and don’t let your past hold you back.
“Identity is this incredible invisible force that controls your whole life. It’s invisible, like gravity is invisible, but it controls your whole life.” – Tony Robbins
7. Get Some Exercise Everyday
Exercise has been shown to improve energy levels and enhance cognition. Who doesn’t want more energy and better cognition? Best of all, you don’t have to take any pills to achieve these results.
Lazy people often neglect exercise, and this only perpetuates their laziness. This is why exercise is so important for overcoming laziness. Exercise will not only build muscle and strength; it will also build self-discipline. Exercise takes discipline, especially if you do it consistently. Exercising daily can help to build your self-discipline which will carry over into your work and life.
I think Isaac Newton explained it best when he created his laws of motion. Newton’s first law states that “an object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion”. In other words, lazy people tend to stay lazy and productive people tend to stay productive.
Exercise has also been shown to have beneficial effects on mood. A study done published by JAMA Psychiatry showed that running for just 15 minutes a day or walking for 1 hour a day can be enough to reduce depression.
“We saw a 26% decrease in odds for becoming depressed for each major increase in objectively measured physical activity,” says study author Karmel Choi.
If you start your day with exercise it can boost your mood, focus, and energy throughout the day. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon every morning. Start with just 15 minutes of aerobic exercise daily and see how you feel.
Try to work this into your morning routine every day. If you can make exercise a daily habit it will become easier and more enjoyable over time. Who knows? You may even start looking forward to it. I know I do.
“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”
– Henry David Thoreau
